


Second Wind

by Bost



Series: Pariah Trilogy [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/M, No Smut, Ocarina of Time, Post-Ocarina of Time, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-07 19:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6821695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bost/pseuds/Bost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link has been charged with leading the desperate defense of a town all but devoid of hope. On the verge of defeat and with his chances of survival dwindling, the Hero of Time will have to look to another source of strength. (Sequel to Outcast.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This fan fiction is a continuation of my previous story, Outcast. It is not 100% necessary to read it in order to follow this story. However, Second Wind does contain material that will spoil my last story. Please keep that in mind if you have any intention of reading both. Thank you in advance for reading, and take care.

The sun glowed over the bustling Castle Town as the people of Hyrule went about their daily routines. Shopkeepers were already out in the streets offering their wares to travelers and familiar faces alike. The warm spring air permeated the small, stone houses that lined the streets as people stepped out to greet each other. The winter had been mild, and even the most reclusive of people could not help but love this time of year.

For most of the people of Hyrule, life had returned to normal. It was almost impossible not to remember the coup against Queen Zelda, but in the year since, tremendous repairs had been made. Many of the ruined homes and shops were practically as good as new, and the people had already begun to speak of Zelda as one of the nation's greatest and most compassionate peacekeepers.

A girl made her way down one of the busy roads that intersected the large town. Even among people who had lived there for years, navigating the almost identical streets could be quite a chore. To this young lady, however, she had grown used to it, nimbly weaving through crowds and avoiding the dead ends. She would often travel to one house in particular, occasionally several times in a single week. The building itself was no more or less noteworthy than any of the homes that surrounded it, but the occupants were among her closest friends. Traveling there was a welcome break from her other, more mundane duties.

Today was a bit different, however. She moved at an increased pace, but she was careful not to run into anyone. She maintained her composure, not wanting to concern anyone that might recognize her. As she approached the last stretch leading to her destination, she began to consider her choice of words.

_"He's probably not going to be thrilled to hear this..."_

The young lady examined the parchment in her hands one last time as she neared the house. Queen Zelda had given it to her only a few minutes ago, and she wasted little time in delivering it. She had already read it multiple times, but she wanted to ensure that she had overlooked absolutely no details.

A small, unremarkable house stood in front of her- it was only one story tall, and the entire structure was smaller than many rooms of Hyrule's castle. She adjusted her blonde hair so that it would not look unkempt from her trip. Taking a look at her blue and white dress, she could see that it was dirtied around the hem, but there was no time to clean it. It wasn't as though they would judge her anyway. She knocked gently on the door, hoping that the occupants were still home.

"Just a second!" a voice called out.

The girl smiled, easily recognizing the voice even as the heavy door muffled it. Moments later, the door creaked open. In the doorway stood a beautiful young lady with bright red hair.

"Good morning, Malon," she began. "I hope I'm not catching you all at a bad time?"

"Not at all, Lera! It's good to see you. Please, come right in," Malon answered, stepping aside for her friend to enter the home.

"Link!" she called out, cleansing her slightly dirty hands with the end of her apron, "Lera's here!"

"Be right there!" he replied from another room.

Malon turned to the young girl and smiled warmly. "I was just gettin' ready to go on a milk delivery. Help yourself to some tea if you'd like. What brings you here today?"

"Thank you," Lera replied as the two sat down in the small living room, each taking a cup of tea from the small table in front of them. "It's about Link, actually."

Malon nodded her head, not surprised in the least. Most visitors to their house were there with some kind of business concerning her husband. Lera was no exception- her status as one of Zelda's Royal Advisers had her visiting quite often. Outside of that, they ensured that she was able to visit them for less formal matters as well.

"Is it about that trade agreement?" Malon asked, recalling one of Link's latest diplomatic trips abroad. "Sometimes I wonder if they'll ever settle on that."

"Not this time," Lera replied. As Link walked into the room, Lera's face lit up slightly and she adjusted her posture.

"Good morning, General Link," she began.

"Good morning, Lera. But, we've been over this, you don't have to call me General," he said, chuckling slightly along with Malon. The formality of such a title made him feel far too old.

"What if we called you "General Fairy Boy"?" Malon said with a giggle. "Does that sound better?"

Link rolled his eyes and nudged her in the side. "Yeah, that's _much_ better," he said sarcastically.

"I guess I keep forgetting about that," Lera replied with slight embarrassment. "I'll remember eventually."

Link noticed the letter in her hand. "Does Queen Zelda have another request of me?" he asked, anticipating another diplomatic trip.

"Well, not exactly," Lera replied as a hint of worry crossed her face. "The people of a village in Frasell have asked if you would assist them with a problem they've been having with raiders."

"Oh dear," Malon said. "How bad is it?"

Lera shook her head and wringed her hands slightly. "It's quite urgent. We received the letter just a few minutes ago. I got here as quickly as I could."

Link's expression became serious, but he was a bit confused by the request. "I'd be more than happy to help, but why would they ask for me? Frasell is quite a distance away… it'll be a few days before I can reach them."

"They know that you've dealt with these Ganth Warriors before," Lera replied, glancing at the document. "They also said that their armies are dealing with bandits in other parts of their land. I suppose they may be stretched a bit thin," she surmised.

"Those are the same raiders who ambushed you at the lake..." Malon added quietly.

Link nodded towards his wife, recalling the event all too well. "How severe is this problem?" he asked, his tone becoming more filled with worry. "Any estimate on their numbers?"

Lera shook her head as she scanned the letter once more. "We have no reports on the bandits' current strength, but we can only assume that they have quite a sizable force. The letter says that the raids are becoming more and more frequent."

Malon suppressed a lump in her throat. She had full confidence in Link's skills, and it was not the first time that he had been called to do something like this, but his safety was never guaranteed. She had seen firsthand that he was not invincible.

Lera noticed the nervousness from each of them. She looked up at Link with her light green eyes. "Link, if you don't wish to do this, I'm sure we can find someone else." The young girl realized that she might not have the authority to make such an offer, but she disregarded that for the moment.

The Hero of Time took a seat and slowly turned to meet his wife's gaze. Her deep blue eyes had a noticeable look of worry in them, but there was a look of understanding in them as well. He placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"Malon, if you don't want me to go... I won't."

The farm girl sat in silence for a few moments, her eyes shifting about. It didn't bother her much when Link left on simple diplomatic trips. In such cases, their empty house was more boring than eerie.

However, matters pertaining to fighting concerned her deeply. She had seen him in terrible shape far too many times for her liking. She wanted him to remain in Hyrule where it was relatively safe, but she pushed the thought out of her mind as she considered the suffering of the villagers.

Malon let out a bit of a sigh. "They wouldn't have asked for your help if it wasn't a big problem. What matters is their well-being." She mustered a faint smile as she continued. "I'm sure you'll be just fine."

Link nodded his head and moved a bit closer to her on the couch. Her subdued worry was still very evident, and it pained him to see her like this. It always brightened up his day to see Malon's normally cheery demeanor, but sorrow was uncharacteristic of her.

"I'll be back as soon as I possibly can," Link said quietly, embracing her as close as he could. Malon returned his warm hug and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"I love you, Malon."

"I love you too, Link," she whispered. Even as they parted, Malon could feel a sense of comfort wash over her. "I have to get going soon..." she said with some regret. "The others are probably expecting me by now at the ranch."

Malon gathered her belongings and stepped out of the house as they exchanged goodbyes. With one last kiss, she departed for her ranch. Link kept his eyes fixed to the door, missing her already. Lera looked downward at the floor, saddened to see her friend leave like this.

"I'm... I'm sorry," she said, somehow feeling responsible for the sorrow in the room.

"It's not your fault, Lera," he said, still looking towards the door. "This is the kind of thing that I train for. Malon and I both know that."

"But you don't have to do this..." she repeated, urgency entering her voice. "We can send other soldiers, or…" she said, trailing off. Her mind searched desperately for other options.

"I'll be alright by myself," he replied with a shrug.

He understood that Hyrule's own army was heavily involved with repairing the kingdom, even now. Many of Hyrule's soldiers were being thoroughly questioned for whatever role they may have had in the coup, and they were unavailable to do much at the moment. Unfortunately, far too many soldiers had aided General Tason in his efforts to seize the throne.

"This shouldn't be anything too difficult," Link added.

Lera continued to sit in silence for a few moments before raising her eyes to look at him again. "We will send some soldiers to assist you as soon as we can. If there's anything you need- equipment, food, extra clothing... just say so. I'm sure Queen Zelda will have whatever you need."

Link smiled slightly and gave a quick glance towards the direction of his basement armory. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll be alright."

"There's one other point," Lera said, reading the end of the paper. "A small group of Frasell's soldiers will be available to assist you. The letter will tell you where to meet them."

She handed the letter to Link and he examined it. "I don't think I've been there before, but I'm sure I'll be able to find them."

"They insisted that you arrive as quickly as possible."

"Well, it'll take me a while to get ready. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lera."

"You're welcome, Gen- Link," she said, turning to look out the window. The afternoon was beginning to approach already. "Link, I have a meeting shortly, so unless you have any more questions, I'll let myself out. Good luck."

The two exchanged their goodbyes as the young lady stepped out the door, still not feeling great about having to deliver such news.

 _"Malon's right,"_ she reassured herself as she headed back towards the large fortress in the distance. _"He's going to be fine."_

Link stood in his house alone and took one more thorough look at the document. It was a fairly unusual letter- not resembling the formal documents that he had so regularly been given. The paper was torn badly around the edges and the words were faded. He still wished that they had given him an estimate for the number of raiders that he might be dealing with, or who he would be working with.

 _"Looks like it was signed by… Lieutenant Sifan."_ He thought for a second, but he couldn't put a face to the name.

The swordsman looked around the room as he gathered his thoughts. It was a small room, but one that took up the majority of his house. Even now, it was inviting and cozy, despite the rather simplistic decor. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something sitting on a nearby table. He approached it and picked it up, looking at it with slight confusion.

 _"Malon's brooch..."_ he thought, examining the small object. _"She must've forgotten it."_

It was a peculiar item, one that Malon had fastened to her neckerchief for years. Link had asked her about its odd design- it resembled some kind of beast, but neither of them could deduce what it meant. All she knew was that her father had given it to her for her birthday at a young age, but for whatever reason, Talon simply laughed when they him asked about it.

Link returned his thoughts to the task at hand as he placed the item in his pocket and made his way towards his armory. He brushed aside a large floor mat in a corner of his house, revealing a large trapdoor. A small cloud of dust escaped from the lower room, stinging his eyes for a second.

 _"I thought I cleaned this place out the other day,"_ he thought as he grasped the ladder and descended into the room below.

As he entered the small room, Link removed a torch from the wall and held it towards the walls around him. The light only partially illuminated the dusty room, but he could have easily found what he wanted in the dark regardless. Weapons of all shapes and sizes sat on the walls, including much of his more unique gear. A lot of the tools had not been used since Ganon's defeat, and Link hoped that he would never have to use some of them again. They only reminded him of more unpleasant times.

He scanned the walls carefully, removing only what he thought he might need. He noticed his Longshot and removed it before he glanced at the Biggoron's Sword. The massive blade was easily one of the largest weapons in the room.

 _"Too cumbersome. Maybe some other time,"_ he thought, figuring that his Master Sword would suffice.

Link continued to gather his belongings, eventually emerging from his armory with his cherished Ocarina, bow and arrows, his Longshot, and his boomerang, among other things. In addition, he also prepared a pack full of cold weather clothes, a map, and other basic provisions. Recalling his previous trip to Frasell, he would have to pass through a frigid mountain pass for a few days.

Link prepared a light meal for himself before he promptly left, heading straight out of town on his trusted horse Epona. As he left Hyrule, he looked over his shoulder towards the small ranch in the distance- it was barely a dot on the horizon now.

* * *

Days passed by for the hero as he made his way to Frasell. All things considered, the swordsman was making surprisingly good time through the winding mountain pass. If not for the slightly warmer spring air, the snow would have easily made travel more difficult and time-consuming. Snowfall was significant, but manageable, and the chilled winds that bit through his clothes were not as bad as they could have been.

Epona trotted through the powder with ease, the conditions not slowing her down in the slightest. Every so often, the two would stop for a few hours to rest and recover their strength. Link offered his horse plenty of oats along the way, which she happily ate. He knew that most other horses would likely never be able to traverse the same pass with as much speed as Epona could.

As Link huddled at the base of a large fallen tree, he recalled his last trip to Frasell, and how unpleasant it was. They had arrested him for a crime that he had not committed, and despite smoothing things over with them since then, Link remained cautious about returning. He wondered if anyone would recognize him, and if they would be apprehensive about seeing him even now.

 _"That's in the past,"_ he thought, shivering a bit. _"They wouldn't have asked me for assistance if they still had their suspicions."_  
  
In the back of his mind, he could not help but wonder if he was walking into another trap. Every time his thoughts wandered to such a possibility, he reassured himself that he would be twice as careful as last time. As darkness began to blanket the snowy pass, Link wrapped himself in his blankets and tried to fall asleep, just as he had done so many times before.

Dawn arrived at an early hour, prompting Link to resume his journey quickly and with less sleep than he would have liked. Sleeping outdoors was seldom a problem for him, but the temperatures, even during spring, were far too low for him to stay comfortable.

The rest of his trip through the frigid pass was otherwise uneventful. Link quickly became tired of days of near constant riding and trudging through powder, along with mediocre sessions of sleep at night. With nobody by his side other than Epona, he already desperately wished that he was at home. Part of him even implored him to return early and simply request that Hyrule's soldiers take care of the task. Link forced such ideas out of his head and stayed committed to helping the villagers that awaited him.

 _"They specifically asked for my help,"_ he reminded himself _. "I don't want to let them down."_

After days of travel, Link finally exited the mountain pass and found himself within Frasell's borders. Already he could feel the warm, inviting air on his face- it was good to be out of such an inhospitable path. He examined Lera's document once more and compared it to his map.

 _"If these directions are right, this village should be located right about... here,"_ he thought, pointing to a spot on his map. _"That's less than a day's ride away."_

Link gave a faint smile as he turned to Epona at his side. "Won't be too much farther. Ready to head out?" he asked, not expecting a response.

Epona whinnied slightly as Link climbed into her saddle and sped off towards the village ahead. With no heavy powder or harsh winds in front of them, Link was able to move faster than ever, largely thanks to Epona's peerless speed. The strong horse thundered across the wide open plains towards the small town. Link could not help but recall the vastness of Hyrule Field, and how similar it was to these gently rolling hills.

* * *

As night began to descend over the land, Link found himself outside of the small village. In past years, it had been a popular spot for fishers, given its proximity to several large lakes nearby. Today however, it was all but forgotten by most of the people outside its walls. Link entered the city, keeping one hand close to his weapon.

Immediately he could see very few people out and about. A few individuals nearby looked him over with confusion and hesitance, not knowing the first thing about him. In an effort to reassure them, Link offered them a smile and a wave, though they gave little response. He guided Epona to a nearby stable and continued his walk through the town with caution in his step.

Link looked over the buildings around him as he traveled down what appeared to be the main path through the town. It was not a terribly large place, and he could tell that most of the occupants were either hiding inside their homes or had fled long ago. Random supplies and tools littered the ground, and most of the buildings that he could see were in bad shape. Shutters were broken and barely hanging on to the window frames, roofs were caved in, and walls had been smashed. The scene reminded him of Castle Town following the coup, and it was no less heartbreaking.

 _"How awful..."_ he thought, sadness crossing his face. _"Nobody should have to live like this…"_

But unlike Castle Town, this city was different. Even when it was almost ruined by the coup, Castle Town still retained a certain vibrancy and life to it. This town seemed as though it had been robbed of all of its hope.

The town's dim lights kept the area just bright enough for Link's liking, but it remained difficult for him to see much. Though he could not always see into the shadows, he knew that he was being watched at virtually all times. Link rechecked his letter one last time, verifying that he was on the right path to meet up with Frasell's soldiers.

He stood before a small, nondescript shop tucked away among many others that looked just like it. Like most of the town, it had seen better days, and Link could not guess when it had last been open for business or what kind of wares it had ever offered. The windows were mostly shattered, and there were no obvious signs anywhere on it. Link wondered if this was actually the right place, given the circumstances.

Link placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing for a possible ambush. After knocking gently on the door, he quickly stepped back from it, anticipating the worst. However, he could hear and see nothing inside. After waiting for a minute or so, he knocked once more, with still no answer.

With every passing moment, he could feel his heartbeat increase. _"If they're going to attack me, then they should hurry up and try it already,"_ he thought, tiring of the tension.

Before he could knock once more, the door creaked open, revealing a dimly-lit room.

"Enter," a voice called out.

Link cautiously stepped inside, further tightening the grip on his sheathed sword. His eyes darted around the room, but he could see little other than a single, weak lantern. The dim light failed to illuminate the farthest corners of the room.

"State your name."

"I am Link of Hyrule," he answered calmly. "I was told to come here."

"On whose orders?"

Link carefully removed the letter from his pocket and tossed it into the light. He could hear movement in the darkness, but he still could not be sure what was concealed. Suddenly, the light went out for a second before turning back on again. To Link's momentary surprise, the letter was now missing.

"What's going on here?" Link said, readying a proper fighting stance. "I will not hesitate to defend myself."

There was no response. Moments later, the light was joined by other lanterns, fully illuminating the room. Before Link stood about a dozen men of varying ages. All of them were disheveled to one degree or another, with several of them wearing only the most basic of armor. They watched him carefully, though none of them had readied their weapons.

The room itself was in a serious state of disrepair- the walls had more than a few holes and the wooden floor had far too many loose boards. Chairs and small beds cluttered the place and various supplies were stacked in whatever spare space there was.

One of the men stepped forward towards Link, hand extended. "Sorry about that, sir," he said with an uneasy smile. "We couldn't be sure who you were."

Link met the man's handshake and breathed a sigh of relief as he released his grip from his weapon. "I understand. This whole thing can't be easy on any of you. Who's in charge?"

"That would be me," replied one of the soldiers, stepping forward. "You must be General Link." The soldiers offered their salutes to Link upon hearing his title.

The man before Link appeared to be in his late fifties, well beyond the age of retirement for most soldiers. The look on his scarred face was neutral, and his armor was in tatters. His skin was dark and his hair was almost completely grayed. He sported a large bow on his back with a rather empty looking quiver. Link noticed the weathered bracer on his arm- it was obvious that he had quite a bit of experience.

"My name is Sifan, and this is most of what's left of the town's defenses," he said, extending a hand out towards the rest of the soldiers. "A few more are out on patrol right now. There used to be far more of us."

Link shook his head in sorrow. "I'm very sorry. If I had known earlier, I-"

Sifan held up a hand, his expression unchanging. "Your apology is unnecessary, sir. We should have received assistance from our own men long ago."

A few of the soldiers in the room had been muttering to each other the whole time, not taking their eyes off of the man in green. One of them who recognized his name spoke up. "Sir, are you... the Hero of Time?"

"Well… yes," he replied, not interested in boasting. He was normally very embarrassed when people fawned over him, and he had hoped that they wouldn't bring this up.

Several of the more experienced soldiers were awestruck. Most of the younger men didn't appear to understand their sudden enthusiasm. Link decided to get straight to the task at hand.  
 _  
_"How did this happen? Why have they not sent more men?"

A second soldier with short, dark hair stepped forward. This man in particular was much younger than the archer before him, and Link could tell by the way he stood and held his sword that he was a very inexperienced fighter. His youthful face has no obvious scars to it, and Link supposed that he had probably never seen battle before. The look in his eyes was uncertain and his knees were shaking slightly, even as he attempted to stand at attention.

"Sir! M-my name is Private Calor. I-"

"Take it easy," Link interrupted, trying alleviate some of the man's nervousness. "Just slow down a bit, Calor." The soldier slowly abandoned his overly-proper tone.

"This village is really far out of the way, sir. We keep asking for more help, but it takes quite a bit of time to move troops to our location." He looked down to the floor. "And most of our nation's soldiers are either keeping the capital safe or patrolling for other bandit threats."

"We've been holding out as best as we can until more soldiers arrive," another man added. "Attacks are almost daily. We often fight with rusted swords and broken shields."

"Sometimes we have to use the weapons from the fallen bandits," Calor added.

Link was careful to keep a neutral expression, seeing the worry on the faces of the more youthful soldiers. "Where are they attacking from? How many of them are there?"

"Primarily from the west," Sifan replied. "Most attacks have around a dozen men, but we've seen groups as large as thirty."

"We think that there may be over a hundred of them altogether," Calor said. "They typically attack during the early morning hours. They like to catch us when most of us are asleep. They take whatever valuables they can find and flee before we can confront them. We don't have the numbers to pursue them and still leave a worthy defense here."

"And when we do fight them, we're normally pretty outmatched," another fighter remarked.

"If we don't stop them here… if this place is overrun…" Calor began.

"They'll just move on to the next village," one of the soldiers added. "They're merciless."

Link could practically feel the pessimism in the room. Whatever strength the men still had was being eroded slowly but surely.

"Well, this all stops now," Link stated firmly. "I've dealt with these raiders before. I promise you that we'll put an end to this threat. I'm not leaving until the town is safe once more."

Several of the soldiers let out subdued cheers, confident in their new ally. Sifan nodded his head with a faint smile. On his command, Sifan recalled the men who were out at the time and assembled them before Link. One of the men produced a map of the city and began to draw lines through the streets, detailing where their patrols were, and where the attacks normally came from.

For some time, Link and the others studied the map. Large, abandoned portions of the city were unguarded, and guards would often be positioned far from each other. It was about as much as they could do with such limited manpower.

Following that, the men stepped forward and allowed Link to inspect their weapons and supplies. It was not surprising- most of their swords were in desperate need of sharpening, and their armor was worn down and mostly unfit for heavier combat. Link wondered if any of the newer soldiers had ever even worn plate armor before.

Hours after arriving, everything was finally ready. Link stood before the entire group- no more than twenty soldiers.

"Starting tomorrow, I will take turns patrolling alongside each of you. You all have your assignments. If you see anything the least bit out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to inform Sifan or myself."

He paused before he went on. "I know that many of you are weary of battle. I know that far too many good soldiers before you have fallen." Link started to raise his voice as he continued. "But I assure you... I will do everything I can to stop them. I will not allow this city to suffer any longer. Who's with me?

The soldiers erupted in a cheer and crowded before Link to shake his hand and slap him on the back. For the first time in weeks, the men were enthused and optimistic after having seen their new ally. It took them quite a bit of time before they were prepared to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a restless night for the Hero of Time. All throughout the quiet hours of the morning, he stayed awake and went over plans in his head. On multiple occasions, he examined the map of the city, almost to the point of memorizing it. If there was a weakness to be found in the city’s defenses, he intended to find it quickly.  
  
At one point, he even left the shop and began to traverse the mostly empty streets on his own, hoping to understand the layout as much as he could. The few villagers who were out at the late hour scarcely looked at him. Their expressions were empty and their heads drooped low, many of them appearing to be on the verge of tears. His stomach twisted to see so much suffering and he had to look away from time to time.  
  
He struggled to stay awake as he surveyed the area. Part of him demanded that he return to sleep and get a more thorough night's rest, but it was practically impossible to think of anything else even when he finally did try to sleep. Almost impossible.  
  
_“I will see her again.”_  
  
Link was the first to wake up among the group. He began to stir each of them from their rest long before the first rays of dawn appeared over the horizon. A few of them were slow to get up, but Link could tell that it was mostly from exhaustion and older age, rather than laziness.

Within minutes, Link and Sifan had the entire group standing before them once again. Link aligned them outside in the brisk morning air, just in front of the shop. Some of the less disciplined men visibly yawned while others struggled to control their shivering.  
  
“No slouching,” Sifan said flatly. He then pointed to one of the half-awake men and ordered him to keep his eyes open.  
  
_“There's no telling how much time we have. I'll have to be selective with who I go with.”  
  
_ “Who here has the least combat experience?” Link asked, surveying the group. He could already tell that several of them had only been there for a few weeks and not much more.  
  
Six men stepped forward without speaking, obviously a bit embarrassed for being so new. They stood with the most proper posture that they could manage, though Link could tell that they were quite uncomfortable.  
  
“You'll be coming with me today. As for the rest of you, I'll patrol with you tomorrow if I can.”  
  
“Do exactly as General Link says,” Sifan added. “You will listen to his orders in addition to mine. To your posts, everyone.”  
  
Sifan and the guards each ran to their own assignments, with the newer men staying behind with Link. The Hero of Time looked them over carefully, evaluating their composure and the condition of their gear. Most of their weapons were in bad shape, and they all were obviously very nervous.  
  
“Alright,” he said. “Let's get moving.”  
  
With that, they proceeded to walk the streets of the town. None of the men said a word, and Link could tell that they were afraid of him, for whatever reason. Their movements were tense and filled with hesitation. In their nervousness, several of them kept a closer eye on Link than on the city around them.  
  
“Stay alert, but keep calm,” Link stated. “You've all done this plenty of times.”  
  
None of the guards verbally responded, although a few of them wanted to remark that they had been on patrol far fewer times than Link had assumed. Those who walked closer to Link stared in astonishment at the Master Sword sheathed on his back, trying to imagine the kind of power it held.  
  
“How long have each of you been here?” Link asked.  
  
The soldiers gave varying answers- everywhere from a few weeks to three months. Link supposed it was better than nothing.  
  
“Keep your eyes focused on the street level,” Link said. “Just don't forget to monitor the rooftops as well. They can use them as effective vantage points.”  
  
The soldiers nodded in agreement and craned their necks around. Link kept his attention shifting on the buildings and on the group behind him. At one point, he noticed that a soldier had kept his bow drawn constantly.  
  
“Wait,” Link said calmly, careful not to sound harsh. “That's not necessary. You're just going to tire your arm like that.”  
  
The archer quickly heeded Link's suggestion and carefully released his bowstring. A thought struck Link as he continued to examine the group. He brought them to a stop, confusing them for a second.  
  
“All of you have seen battle at least once, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Some of the men nodded their heads, but two of them nervously looked the other way.  
  
“We haven't,” one of them replied. Link recognized the man from the previous night- it was Calor.  
  
Link stopped and stroked his chin for a second. Normally, it would be wonderful to lead a life free of such conflict, but Link knew that they would have to fight sooner or later.  
  
“Well, you do know how to fight, correct?”  
  
“More or less, sir. All we have is training.”  
  
“In that case...” Link said, walking over to a large wooden post. “I want you to strike this.” The others followed him and began to line up.  
  
“This is no substitute for an actual opponent,” he admitted. “But I want to ensure that you have the right form. Attack it as I instruct you to, as fast as you can.”  
  
The first soldier stepped towards the post and positioned himself into a rather undisciplined fighting stance. Link instantly and unintentionally gave a rather uneasy expression. He supposed that if he nudged the soldier even just a bit, he might fall over.  
  
“Your balance is off. You're putting far too much weight on your front foot.”  
  
The man gave a quick look at him and adjusted his feet into a better, albeit still imperfect stance. Link supposed that it would work for the time being.  
  
“Alright, on my mark, I want you to strike the post three times- low from the left, high from the right, and then in the middle from the left. Again, do it as fast as you can.”  
  
“Yes sir,” he responded, staring intently in front of him.  
  
“And... attack.”  
  
The man struck at the post just as Link commanded, but his initial swing was off the mark and his follow up strikes had little power behind them.  
  
“No, try again,” Link stated, again trying not to sound too harsh. “Put some more energy into it- don't worry about damaging your weapon.”  
  
The man nodded nervously, obviously disappointed in himself. On Link's command, he attacked it once again. This time, he managed to put some decent power into his attacks, but he struck from the wrong side twice.  
  
Link quietly let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. _“This might take a while.”_

* * *

The sun began to set on the town as Link and the other men continued to train and patrol. They had made a bit of progress and had built up some confidence, but they were all visibly exhausted from their efforts. Link watched on as two of the soldiers sparred. They struck at each other with wooden sticks as he instructed, hoping that they might impress Link.  
  
_“I've seen worse, but they have a long way to go,”_ Link thought. He winced slightly as one of the fighters was hit by an attack that could have easily been blocked.  
  
“Let's call it a day, everyone. We'll pick up where we left off in the morning.”  
  
Each of them breathed a sigh of relief and followed Link back to the shop, some of them nursing cuts and bruises. They stepped back into the building and quickly found their resting spots as several guards left to take over their duties.  
  
“Uhhh... sir?” Calor said, prompting Link to turn around. “Thank you. I think with a few more days of this, we'll be far more prepared.”  
  
Link gave a faint smile. “You're all showing improvement already. The most important thing is that you have each other’s backs. You'll be strongest as a team.”  
  
The guards nodded their heads in agreement, hoping that Link would have plenty more advice for them. Most of what he had said throughout the day was familiar to them, but they all agreed that he was the best trainer they had seen. His ability to quickly read and analyze their movements exceeded any of their previous trainers, and they appreciated his patience.  
  
“Fill your stomachs and get some rest,” Link said. “We have another busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”  
  
The men let out a “yes sir!” in unison and went about with the rest of their evening. Link took a seat next to a window and kept an eye out on the streets. He was tired- though he had not physically pushed himself during the day, his ongoing concern had not ceased. Nobody had spotted activity from any Ganth Warriors throughout the day, but Link doubted that they were actually gone.  
  
Lieutenant Sifan approached Link and gazed out of the same window. At first, he said nothing, instead looking towards something far in the distance. He crossed his arms and lowered his head, obviously just as tired as the rest of his group. As he often did, he had spent over half of the day patrolling the streets.  
  
“How did they do today, General?” he asked, careful to keep his voice down.  
  
Link didn't want to belittle them, but he knew that it would be pointless to embellish their skill. “Their inexperience shows,” he stated. He looked over his shoulder towards the rest of the group to confirm that they had not overheard him. “Their effort is admirable, and they’re eager to learn, but they’re not ready...”  
  
Sifan said nothing, instead waiting for Link to continue. Nothing he said had surprised him.  
  
“...I'll keep working with them tomorrow.”  
  
“Sir, the other men could use your help as well. I've done my best to train them, but your experience is...”  
  
“I'll do what I can. Take only your best men out on patrol tomorrow. We'll be stretched pretty thin, but I'm not sure what else we can do. What do you think?”  
  
Sifan nodded his head in agreement. “I'll let them know, sir,” he said before becoming quiet again.  
  
“Lieutenant, something has been troubling me today. Of all places, why have the Ganth Warriors chosen to destroy this village?”  
  
Sifan released an exhale and his face twisted slightly.  
  
“There’s so little of value for them to take here,” Link continued. “I don’t understand.”  
  
“I wish I knew, sir,” he replied with a frown. “All I can guess is that they’ve selected this one because it is lightly defended. We get just enough traders and supplies here for them to notice.”  
  
“I just wish I had gotten here sooner. Might’ve been able to help put an end to this faster.”  
  
The lieutenant turned towards Link and studied him for a moment. Despite being roughly half his age, Sifan could tell that Link was far more experienced than all of his men put together. Even though he was standing a few feet away, he could almost feel the immense power emanating from the Master Sword on Link’s back.  
  
“Sir, can I ask you something?”  
  
“Go ahead, lieutenant.”  
  
“I know that you’ve seen faced down of the worst monsters in the world.” He shuddered as an image of Ganon appeared in his mind. “I can’t imagine the things you’ve seen. How did you do it?”  
  
Link glanced away briefly as some unpleasant memories returned to him, many of which he had not thought of in years. “There are some terrible things in this world… things that I never want to see or hear from again.”  
  
The Hylian pushed the images out of his mind. “It’s simply a matter of putting your own fears aside. After seeing such awful things… it truly helps you appreciate the goodness left in this world,” he said, a faint smile appearing on his face.  
  
Sifan nodded his head as Link spoke. He was thankful that he would likely never encounter the same horrid creatures as Link, but he understood his sentiment.  
  
Link easily noticed the scars across the lieutenant’s face. Glancing at the bow on his back, he could tell that it was quite old, but had been kept in very good condition.  
  
“Sifan, if I may ask, how long have you been here, exactly?”  
  
The soldier did not turn his attention away from the window. “...Too long.” He let out a deep breath before he went on. “I've seen far too much battle for one lifetime.”  
  
Link lowered his head in sorrow. “I understand. There’s times where I wish I could put my sword away forever. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever see that day.”  
  
Sifan nodded his head and continued, his voice empty of emotion. “I have grown very tired of drawing my bow, but I do everything I can to protect this place. Many of these soldiers have family here- wives, children... that is what keeps them going.”  
  
The two became silent again, continuing to watch outside. Link gazed out at the cloudy sky, unable to keep his mind off of Queen Zelda and his wife. His greatest wish was to be at home with her resting in his arms once again.

* * *

The cold morning air helped keep the men awake as they followed Link through the town. As they had done during the day before, Link was prepared to train them thoroughly, having thought of some new exercises during the night. The group before him was larger now, and Link knew that he would not be able to give them much individual attention.  
  
First, Link assembled them into a line and commanded them to sprint as fast as they could to a spot in the distance and back until they could do so no longer. At the same time, he had others perform a series of push-ups and other calisthenics. Link supposed that combat skills would only take them so far if they lacked endurance and strength.  
  
To his relief, most of them were in reasonably decent shape and were able to pass his tests. Noticing that some of the weaker men were carrying weapons far too heavy for their own good, Link exchanged their larger weapons for more manageable swords and the like. The Hero of Time noticed a significant improvement in their forms almost immediately.  
  
“The largest weapon is not always the greatest,” he reminded them as he handed a short sword to one of the less muscular soldiers.  
  
Throughout the rest of the day, he had them spar with one another. The foremost purpose was to give them something resembling experience, but he was also careful to determine who the most capable fighters were. As time went on, their exhaustion became more and more obvious, but Link could recognize underlying improvement in their actions.  
  
A few hours before sunset, there was a pause in the training. The men sat around, quenching their thirst with whatever water they had available. Link continued to make mental notes on each of them.  
  
_“Let's see... he has the fundamentals down, but his strength is lacking,”_ he thought, turning his attention to another soldier. _“His strikes are vicious, but he is slow to use his shield.”  
  
_ “Sir!” one of the men called out.  
  
“What is it?” he replied, quickly snapping out of his thoughts. He turned to the man, expecting him to have news of an incoming raider attack.  
  
“Would it be alright if I... challenged you?”  
  
Link was surprised by the request. The soldier before him, Bacen, was of reasonable skill, but most of them had not exhibited such confidence. His hair was blonde and somewhat dirty, and like most of the others, he wore it short.  
  
Before Link could respond to the soldier’s request, some of the other guards began to laugh at the idea. They had not seen their leader in combat yet, but they all could guess how skillful he was.  
  
“You want to spar?” Link asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Bacen nodded his head and began to stretch his arms. “Yes sir. What better way to learn than to fight the best?”  
  
The laughs from his allies became even louder, causing Bacen to give them a rather unpleasant look.  
  
“Why are you bothering?” one of them asked. “You know you won't win!”  
  
“Don’t hurt him too much, sir!” Calor called out.  
  
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Link asked, stretching his arms across his chest. He caught a wooden stick as it was tossed to him.  
  
The soldier planted his feet and readied himself into a fighting stance. “You bet. I want to see how a Hylian General fights!”  
  
“If you insist,” Link replied, hefting his shield.  
  
Calor stood next to them as they prepared to square off. “Ready... begin!”  
  
Link immediately started sizing up his opponent as they began to circle each other. From what he had seen, Bacen was easily one of the better fighters in the group, but he knew that he was a bit reckless. The others cheered on as their ally struck at Link with a flurry of blows. Link could feel the power that his opponent was putting behind every attack, obviously trying to impress him.  
  
Link blocked all of his attacks with little effort and offered few in return. It would be easy for him to counterattack, but he was not terribly interested in actually defeating his opponent. It was easy to anticipate his opponent's next move- he gave away his strategy too much. Even as he parried the soldier's strikes, he was evaluating the man's performance.  
  
_“Not bad, but his footwork isn't helping him. He moves around far more than he needs to- he will exhaust himself too quickly.”  
  
_ “How am I doing, sir?” he called out, trying to land a sideways blow on Link's torso. “Come on, sir! I know you're better than this!”  
  
Link mustered a grin as he quickly deflected the strike and jabbed the man in the chest with one swift motion. Bacen fell backwards to the ground, rather surprised by the suddenness of his defeat.  
  
“You were doing alright until you started talking.”  
  
The other soldiers could barely contain their laughter as Link helped his opponent up. The man dusted himself off in embarrassment and shook Link's hand before returning to join the others who were sitting nearby.  
  
“19 seconds! That must be some kind of record!” one of them joked.  
  
“Aren’t you gonna give it another try? I'm sure you'll do better the second time… or the fifth time!” another said.  
  
“Alright, that's enough,” Link said. “We're not here to defeat each other- we're here to learn. This isn’t about who the best fighter is.”  
  
The guards were quick to become quiet again, though some of them had to stifle their laughter.  
  
“That was not a bad idea, however. If any of you want, I will be glad to spar with you.”

Some of the other, more experienced guards sat up and got in line to challenge their leader. Before they could begin, they noticed someone approaching them in a sprint.  
  
“Sir! They're here! The city is being attacked!”  
  
Without missing a beat, the guards sprang to their feet. Link readied his sword and motioned to the rest of them. “Let's get moving. Lead on, soldier.”  
  
Link and the rest of his men sprinted with the man towards the northern part of the city. “How many of them, soldier?” Link asked.  
  
“Maybe thirty or more, sir. We're holding them back as best as we can but we're outnumbered.”  
  
“Not for long!” one of the soldiers shouted.  
  
Within moments, they reached the site of the conflict. Sifan and his men sat atop the outer wall and launched multiple arrow volleys at the approaching bandits but failed to strike their targets.  
  
_“They'll never hit them from this distance,”_ Link thought.  
  
“Those with shields follow me!” Link shouted. “Archers, take your spots on top of that wall and hold your shots- wait for my signal!”  
  
“Yes sir!” they shouted in unison. The archers climbed atop the wall and filed in line with the others as Link and a few other men marched towards the fighters beyond the wall. Link led the advance, careful to stop before getting too close to them. He readied his own bow and aimed it squarely at the mass of bandits that rushed towards them.  
  
He turned back to the archers. “Ready... attack!”  
  
A small, unified shower of arrows flew towards the attackers. A few of them dropped in their tracks, and a few more stumbled as they were hit with more minor wounds. Link ordered another volley, prompting yet more raiders to fall.  
  
The soldiers to Link's sides planted their feet in the dirt, preparing for the incoming group to rush straight into them. By now, the attackers were too close for a third flurry of shots- the risk of hitting their own allies was to great.  
  
“Archers, hold your shots. Fire only when you have a clear shot! Everyone else... attack!” Link shouted, sprinting towards the remaining fighters.  
  
The men around him let out a vicious yell as Link made contact with their foes. Several of them quickly fell to his strikes, and he had little trouble deflecting their undisciplined blows. Multiple raiders backed away from Link and attempted to flee, noticing that Link was a much more capable fighter than they normally saw. Before they could escape, they were taken down by Sifan and his men.  
  
“Good shot!” Link called out. “Keep the pressure on their right flank!”  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Link could see a fellow guardsman struggle slightly to defend himself, falling backwards into the dirt. Without hesitation, Link lunged at the raider and cut him down before he could deliver a killing blow.  
  
“Thank you sir...” the man said, struggling to get back to his feet. “I'm sorry, I-”  
  
“Don't worry about it,” Link interrupted. “Just be more mindful of your surroundings next time.”  
  
 With the hilt of his sword, he caught another strike from an attacking raider, allowing his ally to finish the stunned bandit off. The attacker fell to the ground in a heap as Link looked around the small field. The few raiders that weren't already dead were in full retreat back towards their territory. Link could distinctly hear some of the raiders shouting insults at him.  
  
“Enjoy your victory! We'll be back!” one of them spat.  
  
Link scowled at them before he returned his attention to the guards. “Is everyone alright? Any injuries?” he asked, marching back into the town with the others.  
  
“No casualties, sir,” Calor stated with a grin. “A few of us have some cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.”  
  
“Men, return to your posts. Tend to your injuries and keep your eyes open for a second attack.”  
  
Some of the archers descended from the wall and crowded around the Hero of Time. Along with the others, they thanked him over and over and boasted of their feats in battle. Link remained quiet, still focused on the bandits who were fleeing, now just barely within eyesight.

“ _They won't give up so easily next time.”_

 


	3. Chapter 3

It was another picturesque evening in Castle Town- the city streets were lively with busy Hylians, music drifted in the air, and the weather was incomparable. For most of the people, they were disappointed to see the sun set on such a lovely day. However, for one Hylian in particular, things were far from perfect.  
  
The lone farm girl made her way down one a familiar street, her pace slow, and her head slightly drooping, seeing only the stony path beneath her boots. The main thought in her mind was simply getting home soon, and she had little intention of stopping to do much else along the way. Her surroundings failed to interest her, her mind too preoccupied with other matters.  
  
For the past several days, Malon had spoken of her husband’s departure to only a handful of people, namely Zelda, Lera, and her father. But, as was typical for the kingdom, word had traveled around anyway.  
  
As she passed by the other people in town, she noticed that many of their happy and carefree expressions would promptly turn to sadness upon seeing her. They waved to her nervously, trying to look as upbeat as they could. She waved back slowly, though she still appeared quite distant and somber to them. To the people that remembered it, her expression brought back unwelcome memories, back to when Ingo had run the ranch.  
  
“H-hello, Malon,” an older lady stuttered. “You’re looking well today.”  
  
“Thank you,” she returned sincerely, trying to mask her worry.  
  
“You know, my family just adores your farm’s milk. We’re gonna need a lot more next week!”  
  
“Thank you, ma’am... I’m glad to hear it,” she replied. “I’m sorry, but I really have to get home soon.”  
  
The older woman looked at her with sorrow as Malon resumed her walk towards home. At this point, she simply did not want people to fret so much about her- the fact that her mere presence now seemed to worry people did nothing to make her feel better. Whenever she made the trip home from her ranch, she held out hope that her husband would be waiting for her, safe and sound- far away from any violence and bloodshed.  
  
_“Maybe this time…”  
  
_ A basket hung carelessly from her arm, filled with bottles of milk from her ranch. She wondered if they would make a minor welcoming gift for him if he had already returned. Nothing quenched his thirst quite like Lon Lon’s famous milk- he drank it almost as much an entire family.  
  
Their house sat before her, with no obvious signs that Link was home. She turned the doorknob and stepped inside before setting the basket on a table. As it had been for the days before, their home was empty. The young lady let out a sigh and looked around for a moment in disappointment. She removed a book from the shelf and took a seat across from the fireplace, figuring that it would be a decent way to spend the rest of her evening. She tried to shift her thoughts away from the countless troubling scenarios that ran through her mind, but it was difficult.  
  
_“Worrying about him won’t bring him back any more quickly,”_ she told herself, gazing at the crackling fire. _“He’s been through worse.”  
  
_ She opened the small book and began to flip through it with only a bit of interest. As much as she wanted to get her mind off of such things, it was hard to ignore the eerie stillness of the house- it was so unfamiliar to hear so little in this place. Normally, the evenings would full of laughter and joy, but now the home seemed as quiet as an abandoned library.  
  
Before she could invest herself into the material in her hands, she heard a knock at the door. She was briefly startled by the noise and fumbled the book in her hands a bit.  
  
“One moment,” she called out, standing up to answer it. She opened the door to find Lera standing before her again, this time accompanied by Queen Zelda and a handful of guards as well.  
  
“Oh! Good evening, Your Majesty,” she said with surprise, bowing deeply.  
  
Although they had been close friends for some time now, Malon usually found it necessary to address the queen with as much respect as she was owed. She did her best to keep her composure and set aside her thoughts for the moment.  
  
Zelda looked at her and easily noticed the tinge of sadness still on her face. “Good evening, Malon. Would you mind if we spoke for a moment?”  
  
“Not a problem, Queen Zelda,” she replied, allowing them inside.  
  
Zelda motioned for the guards to stand outside the house rather than join them.  
  
“Can I get you both anything?” Malon asked, starting towards the kitchen. “Tea? Milk? Anything?”  
  
“That’s not necessary,” Zelda replied. “But thank you.”  
  
The young ladies sat down across from each other, with nobody speaking for a few moments. It was not the first time that they had come to visit her since Link had left. By the look on their faces, Malon could already guess what they were going to say.  
  
“Has there been any word?” she asked, getting straight to the point.  
  
Zelda shook her head slightly. “Not yet, Malon. I’m sorry.” She had become increasingly concerned as well after hearing nothing from her close friend for so long.  
  
Malon looked away slightly. “I see.” She was not surprised, but her disappointment remained. At the very least, she acknowledged that it was better than hearing something bad.  
  
The queen placed her hand on Malon’s shoulder, trying to comfort her slightly. “How have you been holding up? How are things at the ranch?”  
  
She did not move her focus. “I’m alright,” she replied. “Ranch hasn’t changed much.” The room became quiet once again.  
  
After a few moments, Lera spoke up. “We wanted to extend our gratitude to you, Malon. You’ve been very patient with all of this. You should be very proud of him. Link is exceptionally brave.”  
  
“Thank you. I’ve always admired that about him,” she replied with a hint of a smile.  
  
Zelda nodded in agreement. “It seems like there’s nothing he can’t accomplish. We have asked so much of Link for years, and we know that it can’t be easy for you to go through this kind of thing.”  
  
Malon shook her head slightly. “It… it isn’t easy,” she admitted. “But it’s not about my feelings right now. It’s about his safety.”  
  
Zelda let out a sigh, doubtful that her words were of much comfort to her. “I personally ordered some of our troops to assist them a few days ago. If there’s anything else we can do, just name it.”  
  
In the back of her mind, the queen knew that the trip would take quite a while for them- a group of soldiers could not travel nearly as fast as the Hero of Time. She hoped that her statement would at least cheer Malon up slightly.  
  
Malon turned back to them, some of the worry having left her face. “I really appreciate that, Your Majesty. If you receive a letter or anything…”  
  
“The second we receive word, I’ll make sure you hear of it,” she said, offering a smile.  
  
“Thank you, Queen Zelda,” she replied, optimism beginning to enter her voice. “I… I know he’ll be just fine.”  
  
Zelda and Lera stayed with their host for some time to reassure her as best as they could. Malon remained reserved and somewhat distant in their conversation. Nevertheless, Zelda and Lera were pleased to see that she was a bit more cheerful than she had been recently. As the sun began to set, the two guests showed themselves out, hoping that Link might somehow be on his way home already.

* * *

Activity around the village was quiet. Every evening, the guards would return to happily announce that they had neither seen nor heard of any hostile activity near the city. Every day without fighting only made the soldiers more and more excited. A few men even began to wonder if the Ganth Warriors were about to formally surrender after having seen the Hero of Time lead them to such a quick and overwhelming victory.  
  
Link continued his training regimen with the men, noting that their progress was only getting better. While most of them still had their shortcomings, Link felt more confident in their abilities. They still challenged him to sparring contests, and even though they could not hope to best Link, he recognized that their confidence was better as well.  
  
The more days that passed without sightings of raiders, the more restless Link became. On one night in particular, he sat atop one of the walls, his focus constantly shifting across the landscape. He stared intently at wherever he thought the attackers might come from next time, ignoring the rather brisk winds around him. Though he did not realize it, he was hardly even blinking. He only broke his attention as another man approached and stood next to him.  
  
“General? Permission to speak?”  
  
Link looked at him for a second, realizing that it was Private Calor. Slowly gathering his thoughts, he spoke. “Go ahead.”  
  
“Are you... alright, sir?”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Some of the men have been remarking that you've been going to sleep later and getting up much earlier with every passing day. If I may ask, how much sleep did you get last night?”  
  
Link thought about it for a second and shrugged. “...Maybe three hours,” he answered, not sure if he received even that much.  
  
Calor shook his head and a look of concern crossed his face. “Sir, that's... that's not healthy.” He thought of a specific incident where Link almost dozed off during a training exercise.  
  
“I'm alright, Private. Thank you for your concern.” Link returned his attention to the field beyond the walls.  
  
“Sir, we ran them off days ago. I don't think they're coming back.”  
  
Link shook his head, still looking across the field. “I’m not convinced. They said they'd be back... I believe them.”  
  
“But what about all of the training that you've given us? Don't you think we're ready to stand on our own?”  
  
Link gave no response at first. Truthfully, he knew that they were not ready to deal with a larger attack, but he did not want to undercut the soldier's confidence.  
  
“It doesn't matter what I think. I'm here to help you until the threat is gone.”  
  
Calor let out a sigh. “You don’t think we can do it. I can see it on your face.”  
  
Link struggled to respond for a moment. _  
  
_ “You’ve… you’ve all improved a lot. I can see that much.”  
  
The private was not convinced by Link’s reply. He turned his attention out towards the field for a moment, seeing nothing of particular interest. “Sir, did I ever tell you why I was here?”  
  
“I assume it’s because you were assigned here.”  
  
“No, sir. I volunteered for this. I insisted on coming here.”  
  
Link finally looked at the young man, taken aback by his statement. “Why is that?”  
  
“Because I knew how much this village has suffered.” His voice was quiet, but firm. “When I was a kid, I travelled a lot, and I saw places like this far too often. Countless lives ruined… for no reason. I don’t want to see that kind of thing ever again.”  
  
The Hero of Time said nothing, instead listening intently.  
  
“When I first became a soldier, they offered me the chance to be some sort of glorified assistant to some low-ranking officer in the capital- far from any real threats. But that wasn’t for me… I wanted to protect others, even if it meant endangering myself.”  
  
Link nodded his head. “That’s quite selfless of you. I doubt that most people would choose to come to a place like this.”  
  
“Thank you sir. It’s been harder than I thought it would be- the fear… being unable to see my family… but I don’t regret my decision. Every day, I just wake up and remind myself why I’m here.” He looked back towards Link and could still see his fatigue easily.  
  
Smiling slightly, Link patted him on the shoulder. “I know exactly what you mean.”  
  
Calor became quiet before he spoke again. “Sir, I can take over for you. Go get some rest, please.”  
  
Link was uncomfortable with the idea, but he knew in the back of his mind that he would be an ineffective warrior if he was too tired. As he gripped the edge of the wall, he could feel his arms tremble slightly. His eyes stung and his limbs ached- he wasn't sure if he could land an accurate arrow shot at longer distances.  
  
“...Alright,” he said, descending from the wall slowly. “But don't hesitate to wake me if you see anything out of the ordinary. Good night, Private.”  
  
“Good night, sir.”  
  
Link made his way back to the shop and crept inside quietly. He found his sleeping spot and tried to fall asleep. Despite his fatigue, he could not help but constantly think of home. Link slowly realized that part of the reason that he could not help but constantly watch the plains beyond the wall was because it reminded him so much of Hyrule Field.  
  
He rubbed his eyelids and tried to shut out the situation around him. Going so long without seeing or hearing from his wife was brutal, and he wished that he could send her something to let her know that he was okay.

* * *

For the most part, the next day went on just as the subsequent days had. The soldiers’ efforts were encouraging, and they pressed through their exhaustion to meet Link’s standards as best as they could. Link was particularly impressed by their performance during their tiring run around the town- not a single person had given up or had fallen too far behind. Of course, Link ran alongside them the entire time, ensuring that their pace was brisk.  
  
Following the long day, the sun was beginning to set over the small village. Even in the pleasant spring air, the men were sweating profusely in their training. Not content to stand idly by in the shade, Link circled the fighters as they sparred, carefully noting every mistake he could spot.  
  
“Bacen, don’t drop your guard,” he stated. “Don’t become so aggressive that you leave yourself open for counterattacks.”  
  
“Yes sir!” he responded with enthusiasm, his breaths heavy.  
  
His next attack connected with the other soldier, sending him to the ground. Link’s momentary concern dissipated as Bacen helped the other man to his feet, both of them unscathed.  
  
“Good effort,” Link said to the other man. “But you need to watch your balance. Promise you’ll work on that?”  
  
The guard nodded in response before engaging in a second match with his opponent. Link smiled a bit, knowing that even among the more inexperienced guards, their mistakes were becoming less significant. He turned to the nearby archers as he wiped his brow, carefully observing their shot placement.  
  
_“He can draw from his quiver with great speed, but his shot placement needs work. He needs to slow down and focus.”  
  
_ Before Link could speak up to correct the young man, a commotion erupted not far away. He quickly turned to see where it was coming from, seeing a group of men yelling and crowding around something. Whatever it was, he knew that it wasn’t for a good reason.  
  
“Step aside everyone!” he exclaimed, trying to move through the group. “What’s going on?” he demanded. Nobody seemed to give him an answer.  
  
He finally found the center of everyone’s attention. One soldier had his hand around the other’s collar and hurled a punch at his stomach, the other retaliating by trying to trip him into the dust. With every attempt, the crowd around them roared with shock, as a few men tried to intervene but failed. Without hesitation, Link jumped between the two of them, narrowly avoiding a jab from one of them.  
  
As he pushed the two apart, they continued to flail at each other until some other soldiers began to restrain them. When they were finally under control, Link stepped back and looked at the two of them in anger, not saying anything for a few seconds. The other soldiers were completely silent, thoroughly scared at what their leader might say.  
  
_“He’s never looked so upset…”_ one of the soldiers thought, not daring to move a muscle.  
  
“What in the world were you two doing?” he asked, crossing his arms and pacing about in front of them. His voice was low but it was teeming with frustration.  
  
“Sir, we were…” one of them began, his knees shaking.  
  
The other man interrupted. “We were sparring, and he tried to make a dirty strike against me! Far too dangerous for a sparring match!”  
  
Link raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”  
  
“Not true!” the other responded. “I already told you, I wasn’t aiming for your neck!”  
  
The two began to shout over one another in disagreement. A few of the less disciplined soldiers began to join in as well, each trying to give their account of the incident over the noise of everyone else. Link stood by quietly for a few seconds in disbelief.  
  
“Stop!” he shouted, waving his hands back and forth in front of him. The crowd instantly stopped speaking once again. Link took a deep breath and looked at each of them in the face, disappointed with so many of them. He clenched his jaw and tightened his fists, restraining himself from launching into loud rant on their foolishness.  
  
_“And to think, we were making some real progress.”_  
  
“I do not care who started it or why. There is no fighting during training, for _any_ reason.” His tone had become calm, yet stern. “You are all on the same side. I know that this is a difficult time for many of you, and that you are all desperate to win, but I will not accept this kind of behavior.”  
  
Everyone around him nodded enthusiastically, still nervous at Link’s obvious anger. It had been the only time that Link had scolded any of them so harshly.  
  
“If anything like this happens again- and this goes for everyone- you will be disciplined accordingly. Understood?”  
  
“Yes sir!” they all shouted.  
  
Link struggled to think of what punishment would work. In Hyrule, such acts would commonly be met with expulsion from the military, but Link knew that he needed every single guard available. He hoped that they would simply buy his bluff and behave themselves.  
  
“Any disagreements between yourselves, no matter how petty- put them aside. They do not matter. You are a team.” Link paused for a moment before he continued. “Tonight, I want each of you to speak to somebody that you have not normally talked to. Understand each other. Got it?”  
  
‘Yes sir!” they repeated.

“Alright. Everyone back to the shop. Those of you who have patrols, get to them.”

The men slowly followed their leader back to their base. None of them said a word, each of them taking everything he said into consideration. Far from harboring any lingering resentment towards them, Link was eager to simply get some rest.

* * *

Link sat in a corner of the modest shop, taking small bites from a loaf of bread. He wasn’t terribly hungry as of late, but he knew that it was important to keep his stomach full anyway. At this point, the bread was rather stale, and he hoped that he’d be able to find something better soon.  
  
_“What else did I bring?”_ he wondered as he began to sort through his belongings.  
  
He looked into one of his satchels and removed some items, most of which were not food. He set aside the extra maps and the notes that he had been taking throughout the trip, not interested in studying them, for once.  
  
_“Drat. Guess I’ll have to find something tomorrow,”_ he stated, realizing that most of his remaining food was either just as stale or downright spoiled.  
  
He returned his attention to the room around him, observing the soldiers before him. Since the incident earlier, they had done everything they could to stay on Link’s good side. Though he was still bothered by what had happened, Link appreciated their improved behavior over the previous few hours and was not interested on dwelling on it any more than he had to.  
  
Calor looked in his direction from across the room and raised an eyebrow. “Sir? What’s that?” he asked, pointing to something at his side.  
  
Link turned and looked at the small collection of items at his side. Only one thing stood out to him- his Ocarina. He picked it up and held it his hand carefully.  
  
“This?”  
  
“Yes sir,” he responded, still intrigued by the object.  
  
“It’s my Ocarina,” he explained. “It plays music. It’s very special to me,” he said with a faint smile, looking at it closely. He could still remember fishing it out of Castle Town’s moat so many years ago, and how it had gotten him out of countless troublesome situations.  
  
Another man looked up at him. “Can you play something for us, sir?”  
  
“Oh, I don’t know…”  
  
“We’d really appreciate it, sir,” Bacen said. “We don’t get to hear much music anymore. It could really lighten things up.”  
  
The rest of the group had joined in on the conversation as well, despite Link’s obvious hesitance. They all were eager to see what such an object was capable of in their leader’s hands. They continued to ask him, even as Link tried to put it away. Sifan stood by with a grin on his face, more aware than the others about what it meant to Link and Hyrule.  
  
Link took one last look at it before he was about to place it back in his satchel. He couldn’t bring himself to simply ignore it, especially not now.  
  
“Alright,” he said at last. “One song.”  
  
The men cheered up at his statement, some of them crowding around and sitting closer to him with almost childlike enthusiasm. For most of them, it would be the first real music that they had heard in months.  
  
Link raised the ocarina to his mouth, but hesitated before he attempted to form a note. He had no real discomfort with playing in front of others, and he certainly had not forgotten how to, but he struggled to proceed. The others around him continued to wait patiently, not aware of the difficulty. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and positioned his fingers on the ocarina properly, briefly considering what song he would perform.  
  
_“There’s only one song worth playing.”  
  
_ He tried to blow the first note into it, but it came out flat. He abruptly stopped before going any further, wincing slightly at the sound. The other men gave no reaction to this, supposing that he was just warming up.  
  
Link took a deep breath, and started over again. The notes flowed easily this time from his ocarina. The melody enveloped the room with a serene sound. The men stared in awe at their general as the music brought an astounding sense of peace into their minds and sent chills down their spines. It was quite a simple tune, yet it was also some of the most wonderful music they had ever experienced.  
  
_“Amazing…”_ Sifan thought, closing his eyes.  
  
For Link, the required hand movements were second nature to him- he wouldn’t have to pay full attention to his actions to perform properly. In his mind however, he could only think of the one who taught him the song so many years ago. As the music flowed naturally from his ocarina, he heard her song in his mind, as though she was right there next to him. The calming tune almost overwhelmed him.  
  
Minutes passed by before Link finally brought the melody to a finish. As the sound faded away in the room, the soldiers looked at him, still in astonishment. It seemed like such a happy song, but they had no idea as to why their general had such a somber expression. A few of them attempted to memorize the song, hoping that they could repeat it later.  
  
“Sir…” Bacen said. “That was great.”  
  
“Where did you learn that, sir?” asked another soldier.  
  
The rest of the crowd thanked him multiple times, only somewhat aware that Link had been completely silent since the song’s ending. A few others tried to ask for the song’s meaning, knowing instinctively that there was something else to it beyond the simple notes. Calor was about to ask for another song before he noticed Link’s lack of a response.  
  
“General? Is everything alright?” the private asked.  
  
Bacen looked at his leader uneasily, assuming that he was sad for making some kind of mistake. “You don’t have to worry about impressing us. That sounded fantastic to me, sir.”  
  
A tear fell out of Link’s eye, landing on the wooden floor, and he made no attempt to hide it. He paid little attention to the soldiers around him. Saying nothing, he returned his ocarina to his belongings, even as the others continued to ask him what troubled him. The Hylian looked away from the group and laid down to sleep, some tears still in his eyes. He had never played the song so perfectly.


	4. Chapter 4

Another pleasant Spring day had dawned on Hyrule, blanketing the land with warmth. For many citizens, there wasn't much time to stop and enjoy the incomparable conditions. People had packed the streets of Castle Town at an early hour, each hoping to get as close as they could to the towering fortress in the distance. Most of them had little chance of being allowed in, but they each meant to catch a glimpse of the party that was underway.

Within one of the cavernous dining rooms, a banquet had been going on for hours into the afternoon, filling the space with music and laughter. This gathering was to honor respected members of Hyrule's trade community, many of whom had been instrumental in Hyrule's economic recovery. Such celebrations had become a regular occurrence throughout the years, where guests were honored and the finest foods sat atop dozens of tables throughout the beautiful rooms. Even after withstanding great damage in the coup, the castle still retained much of its splendor. Amidst the dancing and laughter, the guests could not help but marvel at the astounding architecture and surviving priceless artwork.

However, for one person, this event lacked its usual levity. A lone woman clothed in one of her most elegant outfits sat at the end of a large table, her head resting on her hand. She said nothing, other than to greet a guest if they approached her. Her mind was elsewhere, and she cared little for the proceedings around her. She awaited the end of the festivities, hoping to return to more pressing matters.

 _"How long has it been?"_ Zelda asked herself. _"Something is amiss. It's unlike him to be gone for this long."_

The queen stared off through a distant window, paying little attention to the people near her. As they noticed her somber expression, their own expressions turned noticeably more sorrowful. They did not know exactly what was going through her mind, but it was easy to guess. Were it not for the sake of appearances, Zelda would have excused herself several hours ago.

A young girl made her way through the throng of dancing couples, being extra careful not to step on anyone's feet. Her fairly short stature would make it easy for them to accidentally trip over her. It was difficult to see through the crowd, especially with so many of the ladies wearing flowing and complicated dresses, but she was able to spot her friend nonetheless - Zelda was unmistakable in appearance.

She approached the young queen and took a seat next to her, initially saying nothing. Zelda noticed her presence but did not turn to look at her. They sat in silence for a few moments, passively observing the party, but it hardly interested them. Perhaps more than anyone else in the entire castle, she knew what troubled the queen.

"Lera, I think I've made a mistake," Zelda stated flatly, being careful not to let the guests overhear.  
  
"By asking Link to go to Frasell?"

"Yes. Something is… wrong. We've heard nothing from him in days. By now, we should have received a letter or something."

"That village was pretty isolated, Your Majesty. I suppose that they may not have much of a mail system." It was the only explanation that she could think of that didn't involve something terrible happening to him. Whatever horrid possibilities entered her mind, she would not share them with Zelda.

"I don't know. I just fear the worst." She slowly turned to look at her Royal Adviser. "I fear that I've asked too much of him."

"Queen Zelda, I know that bandits are nothing to be trifled with, but how can they be any match for Link? If he defeated Ganon, then what chance do they have?"

Zelda shook her head. "It's more than that, Lera. It's about everything we have asked him to do for years. Conflict after conflict, trial after trial..."

Lera could not help but remember Link's hurry to get to the village. His only pause was for his wife, rather than any personal uncertainty. Even now, she was quite stunned by the fact that he had decided to leave with no immediate assistance from Hyrule's troops.

"And he's always prevailed," Lera noted, trying to bring some optimism into the conversation. "He jumps at the chance to do things like this. He knows what he's capable of. Don't let yourself become consumed with worry, Your Majesty." Her words were directed not only the queen, but also at herself.

Zelda's shoulders drooped slightly and she let out a sigh. "I've thought about our last conversation with Malon. Poor dear… as much as we're worried, I can't imagine what she's going through. I just hope something we've said has comforted her."

"She's a very strong young lady," Lera declared with a faint smile.

The queen became silent once more and began to stare off at nothing in particular. The party continued on around them with no less enthusiasm and cheer, as if their conversation was not happening at all.

Zelda placed her arm on the table and rested her head on her palm. "Hero of Time or not, he shouldn't have to carry such a huge burden. He's done more than enough."

Lera stayed quiet but waited intently for what the queen said next. Her eyes widened slightly, anticipating something.

"He will return to Hyrule soon enough," she declared, erasing the doubt from her tone. "When he does, I will urge him to go back to a normal life."

"Sounds like you've made up your mind," Lera replied. 

Zelda nodded her head and looked to her friend. "He's never really lived like the rest of the people. While the children of Hyrule were still learning basic arithmetic, he was off slaying monsters. I can hardly imagine what that must be like."

Lera became quiet for a moment. She supposed that she had taken her relatively carefree life for granted. Not once had she ever had to draw a weapon, even for practice. No army or nation had ever looked to her for leadership. Nobody had ever asked her to mediate in a complex, decades-long geopolitical disagreement. She would never have to carry the weight of a nation on her shoulders.

The queen continued, recalling the first time she had met the young man. Even back then, he was clever and brave. He had never shied away from any challenge, no matter how difficult. She smiled as she realized how little he had changed.

"Link is long overdue to lead a normal life. From now on, I will ask no more of him. The only letters I intend to send to him will be party invitations… no more requests to travel far away or battle some terrible foe."

"Do you think that's what he wants?"

Zelda's thoughts drifted to the countless times that Link and Malon were together. She could think of no other times that she had seen either of them so happy and excited. Their smiles and their laughter were infectious- they could make even the dreariest of days in the castle seem like a small party.

The queen smiled. "I know so."

* * *

Link awoke the next day feeling only a bit better than the night before. Sleeping in such a cramped space with only a few blankets had not gotten much easier over time. The morning went on as usual- a breakfast of whatever could be scrounged up, followed by plenty of training through the afternoon. Even during the exercises, Link found it hard to remain focused on the progress of the guards. The song from the previous night still went through his mind, almost constantly.

Lieutenant Sifan walked up to him as he observed another sparring session between some of the soldiers.

"General," he said with a subdued grin, "I have to say that I'm very pleased with how things are going. We're fortunate to have you here."

"Happy to do it," Link replied, still observing the session before him. "Watch your footwork," he said, motioning to one of the participants. "You're about to lose your balance."

The soldier acknowledged Link's statement and resumed his training. Sifan spoke up again. "General, if you'd like, you can return to Hyrule. I'm sure we'll be alright now."

Link turned to the lieutenant with a slightly incredulous look on his face. "Why would I do that? Our task isn't over yet. I've only been here for..." he trailed off, having lost track of how long he had been with them.

"…about four weeks, sir," Sifan finished with a bit of a laugh.

"It's really been that long?"

"We've learned so much during your time here," one of the soldiers chimed in. The others around him nodded and spoke in agreement.

"That may be true," Link began, "but I strongly doubt that the raiders are gone for good."

"But we can handle them, sir!" boasted one of the guards.

"Yeah, you've seen us in action!"

Link stroked his chin as he looked at the encouraged soldiers. "Maybe, but I don't know what they're fully capable of. I'm not leaving yet."

The soldiers were simultaneously relieved and saddened to hear him say that. While they were happy to have him around, they all shared Calor's sentiment - Link was probably overexerting himself. More than a few times, some of them had found Link studying maps and going on extra patrols at rather unreasonable hours. His unexplained demeanor during the previous night also troubled them.

A man quickly approached the group. "General, I think you need to see something."

Link and the others immediately began to follow. "What's going on?" the Hero of Time asked. "Is it an attack?"

"I'm not sure," he replied uneasily. "We can just barely see it on the horizon."

The soldier led the group away towards one of the outer walls. They scaled a set of stairs taking them to the top of the structure - it was not much taller than the buildings that it surrounded. Link surveyed the area but could not spot anything unusual until the soldier pointed him to something off in the distance. It was barely a shadow on the horizon, just large enough to see, but not nearly close enough to see any detail.

"Can you tell what that is, sir?"

Link shook his head, trying to focus his vision as best as he could. There was light fog across the plains, making it rather difficult to see much.

"I think it's headed this way," one of the soldiers noted.

"Can anyone tell how far it is?" another asked.

"Looks to be about... fifteen hundred meters, give or take."

"Everyone stay alert," Sifan commanded. "Bacen, alert the other guards at the shop. Archers take your spots." Sifan desperately hoped that it was nothing, but in the pit of his stomach, he knew better. The tension in the air was all too familiar to him.

The soldiers filed into their positions and began to wait. Everyone remained silent, still not exactly sure what was heading towards them. They all figured it would be another group of raiders, though none of them could guess how large it was.

With every passing moment, the men became more uneasy, and they began to sweat heavily, even in the pleasant spring air. Their pulses increased as time dragged on, many of them wishing that they could simply charge at their foes, rather than prolong the wait. The silence in the air was eerie and unnatural to them - even before other attacks, it had never been so quiet.

Without having realized it, Bacen had begun to breathe more heavily. Every stray sound seemed to draw his attention. His tried to focus his heightened awareness only on what the fog was concealing. He nervously wiped some sweat from his brow with his bandana. As he gripped the hilt of his sword, he could already feel his arm shaking.

Minutes later, the fog dissipated slowly, giving them a far better view of what was approaching. To their horror, a massive army awaited them just under five hundred meters away. Their pace was increasing as they neared the city in rather disorganized formation.

Sifan glared at the sight before him before he motioned to several of his men. "Tell the citizens to get to their homes! Quickly!"

The small group of men wasted no time and dashed off towards the inner portion of the town, urging people into whatever sturdy buildings could be locked and protected.

Calor stared at the army and tried to estimate their numbers. "There must be hundreds of them," he said. "How is that possible?"

Bacen scowled at the enemies in the distance. "They must've brought some other raiders. There's no way the Ganth Warriors have that many." He paused before he went on. "These lowlifes aren't just here for plunder now."

Calor nodded his head. "Revenge."

Link quickly scanned the incoming group. "Archers, don't fire until you have a clear shot!" he shouted, drawing his own bow.

He gripped the end of an arrow and aligned it with the incoming bandits. _"Four hundred meters..."_

"Yes sir!" they shouted together. They each reached into their quivers and prepared their own arrows.

"Foot soldiers!" Sifan yelled, "Get to the entrance and hold your ground!"

The swordsmen heeded the lieutenant's command and headed straight for the narrow pathway into the city. They formed into ranks as best as they could with the limited manpower that they had.

Link shut his eyes for a second, dreading the fact that he would surely be ending so many lives today. He would find absolutely no pleasure or glory in it, but it had to be done. He opened his eyes and stared down the arrow he had readied and towards the approaching foes.

_"Three hundred meters..."_

Link and the others kept their bows trained on the enemy army, slowly but surely seeing them more closely. Their weapons and armor were rather random, some of it obviously having been stolen from Sifan and his men long ago. Even for Link, it was difficult to tell who their leaders might be - there were no banners of any kind, and nobody seemed to be giving orders among the others.

" _Two hundred meters..."_

Link gave quick glances at the archers to his left and right and to the foot soldiers nearby. "Men, this is it! This is what we've been training for!" he shouted. "Remember your families! They're counting on all of us! Hold nothing back!"

All of the men released the loudest yells they could muster. Several of them even began to taunt the approaching army. Link's vision was completely fixated only on the arrow he was about to release. He kept his grip firm on the end of the projectile and on his bow - he was far too experienced to become unsteady or nervous now. His peripheral vision blurred as he slowed his breathing, hearing his heartbeat become louder and louder until it almost completely obscured everything else around him.

_"…One hundred meters."_

"Attack!" Link yelled.

The archers released a volley of arrows, carefully arcing their shots to rain down on the enemies. A handful of raiders fell as Link took rapid shots at the enemies closest to the city entrance. His own accuracy was nearly flawless.

The other archers struggled to keep up with Link as he continued to pick off foes one by one. Over and over the bandits fell, but the rest of the army advanced without hesitation, practically ignoring the lifeless raiders around them.

As the main force neared the gate, Link sprang from the wall and quickly joined with the swordsmen nearby - they would see the worst of the fighting. He drew his Master Sword from its scabbard and stared down the assailants as they neared him.

"Archers, keep pace with me!" Sifan ordered, firing off another shot.

Link had little time to ready himself before he and the others were met by the advancing raiders. The Hero of Time stood at the forefront of the small formation, cutting his way through as many of the attackers as he could. He moved with astonishing speed, each strike flowing into the next. The few that slipped past him were met by his allies behind him.

Link delivered a stab to the shoulder of one of the bandits and swiftly pivoted on his foot to deflect an incoming strike from another fighter. To catch them off guard, Link slammed his shield into one of their faces and shoved the raider towards the other attackers, knocking several of them off balance. He sprang towards the enemy formation and attempted to draw as much of their attention as he could - he could handle far more bandits than any of his allies. Whenever he could, he delivered strikes that would ensure faster and less painful deaths.

Most of the bandits were not nearly as skilled as he was, but as Link glanced at his allies, he knew that they would have significantly more difficulty.

"Bacen! Keep your shield up!" he ordered, just before his sword clashed with another. He released a slash towards one of the raiders, bringing him down quickly.

"Yes sir!" Bacen returned, taking down his own opponent with an effective swing.

Link found it hard to monitor the men around him and stay alert of the enemies in front of him. Though it pained him, he would have to focus on his own well-being first, rather than try to address every mistake that he saw.

For their part, Link's allies began to call out to one another, warning of surprise attacks and approaching enemies. It relieved Link to know that they were watching each other's backs so thoroughly.

As more enemies fell to his blade, Link began to pace himself, his breaths becoming heavier and his arms hurting slightly. Every so often, an attacker would land a glancing blow across Link's body, sending a surge of pain through his body. During a brief lull in the fighting, he examined a gash across his arm.

Calor disposed of a raider before briefly turning towards the general. "Holding up alright, sir?"

The pain was intense, but he wasn't about to say that in front of the others. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The green-clad swordsman backed up to stay closer to the other soldiers as more and more fighters rushed towards them without ceasing. Link cut down yet more of them but slowly began to realize that they were starting to avoid him, and instead were focusing on the less experienced men. Whenever he could, Link would jump into the path of a charging raider to take them down quickly, rather than allow them to overwhelm his allies.

Suddenly, Link heard a yell from behind him. He turned around quickly to find one of the soldiers - a young warrior name Toran - collapsed on the ground, having been struck by a raider. Link rushed over to quickly to examine him.

"Hold on, where is your wound?" he asked, frantically trying to find the injury.

Toran shook his head and looked up at Link. His breaths were labored as he spoke. "Don't worry about me, sir... Just keep fighting..."

"No, you're going to be alright!" Link exclaimed. "I-I think I have something…" He searched his pockets desperately for something to help the soldier, but could find nothing.

He motioned towards the other soldiers. "I need some medicine over here!" he shouted, knowing that they too probably had nothing with them.

Seconds later, the soldier fell motionless. Link silently stared at him in sorrow before he lowered his head. The noise of the battle around him faded for a few moments as he was overcome by what had just happened before him. He had only know this man for a few weeks, but that did nothing to remove the pain of losing a fallen ally. _"I'm sorry, Toran._ _You fought hard until the end. Can't ask for any more than that."_

Link released a shaking breath as he raised his head. " _The others need me._ _I can't do anything for him now."_

Regretfully, he picked up the man's body and moved him away from the conflict before he returned his attention back to the battle and charged into the fray. A raider took a wild swing at Link, missing completely, prompting Link to deliver a swift strike with his shield into his enemy's face.

As he fought on, he could feel his attacks become laced with anger, having seen the suffering of his allies. At one point, he struck with such ferocity that he split a raider's shield completely.

The battle carried on for what seemed like an eternity. Link was able to pace himself, saving his energy with small, methodical strikes to pinpoint spots on his foes' anatomies. His lungs burned and he became desperate for even a drop of water. Looking around, he could tell that everyone else was growing increasingly fatigued as well. He winced at the sight of several of them fighting on with obvious wounds across their bodies.

"Sir!" an archer called out, "we've almost run out of arrows!"

"Conserve your shots! Only fire at the ones who slip past us!"

No matter how many enemies fell before him, there seemed to be an endless number of them. Only a few of the attackers appeared to even consider the idea of giving up. Looking past the approaching foes, he could not see a clear end to them.

Looking around to his allies, he saw that several of them were wounded badly and could no longer stand up. Others lied on the ground motionless, having succumbed to their injuries. Link was overwhelmed with sorrow every time- so many of the brave men that he had come to know were gone.

Link knew that with their diminishing numbers, they would not be able to hold their current spot, as several raiders had already gotten past their defenses into the city. "Everyone! Gather the fallen and regroup at the shop! I'll cover you!"

The soldiers quickly complied and began to carry the wounded and deceased towards their base. Link backpedaled as the enemies attempted to surround him. They could not hope to land a solid attack on him, but Link could feel his arms and legs aching badly. As he moved his legs, it felt as though he was waist deep in water.

Link delivered a blow to another fighter and turned around to find that his allies were all far behind him. Turning around, he broke through the raiders and sprinted to rejoin with them, ignoring the severe pain in his lungs and legs.

He rushed down the winding streets towards the shop, eventually reaching it along with the rest of the soldiers. Even in his fatigue, he was certain that he was able to outrun the raiders, and he doubted if they had seen him enter the building.

Link stood before the men inside the small building, many of them too winded to even speak. They frantically tried to quench their thirst with what little water they had left. Several others simply stood in silence.

"How many more of us can still fight?" Link asked, almost falling to his knees in exhaustion.

Sifan looked around the room. "I'd say about ten of us, sir. That includes the two of us."

"And what of the wounded?" Link asked. "Do we have any medicine?"

Calor shook his head and spoke between breaths. "No sir... our village hasn't had a reliable stock of medicine in months... that's usually among the first things that the Ganth Warriors take when they can."

Link slowly recovered his breath and looked out of one of the windows. To his dismay, the raiders seemed to be surrounding the small shop, and began to hurl rocks and debris at them.

"Blast... looks to be at least sixty of them," Link stated.

Bacen stood next to a window, trying to get a good look out of it without being noticed. "They're just toying with us now," he said, barely able to contain his anger. "They're not gonna stop until -" He stopped himself, realizing that the last thing they needed was a demoralizing remark.

Several of the soldiers began to murmur among themselves, uncertain that they would survive another fight. One man slowly fell to his knees as he realized that he would likely never see his family again. A tear formed in his eye, which he slowly wiped away. The others around him tried to comfort him as best as they could.

Link looked at each of the men in the room. Their faces were cold and empty, most of them doubting their chances, even with the Hero of Time by their side. The swordsman sat down next to the wall and lowered his head.

"They could overrun us at any second…" Bacen said with a glower. He smashed his fist into one of the walls in frustration and hung his head in shame, his face becoming blank. "I- I've let everyone down…"

"Settle down," Sifan replied. "We've made it this far - we'll be alright." He knew full well that the soldier may have been right about their chances, but such words would not help them.

Link's vision became blurry as he tried to steady his focus on the others around him. As he attempted to lift his arms, they felt like dead weight. His legs were not much better - he knew that he would not be able to keep running as he had earlier. The adrenaline in his body appeared to have worn off as well, and he didn't know how much longer he could go on.

Looking at his arm, Link examined the gash that he had received earlier. _"Didn't strike an artery, but I can't ignore it for much longer."_ With no extra medicine handy, he simply ripped a piece of cloth from his tunic and carefully wrapped it around the wound, hoping that the pressure might help a bit. It remained painful, but he couldn't do much more for it at the moment.

Calor slowly moved towards Link and knelt down next to him. "Sir... we can hold them off. Just do what you can to escape." His tone was nervous, yet completely sincere.

Link stared at him blankly, not entirely aware of what the soldier said.

"You've done enough for us. You're too important to this world to die here like this." The other soldiers nodded their heads in agreement, several of them patting him on the shoulder.

"He's right," Bacen added, trying to conceal the fear in his eyes. "You're the Hero of Time… we're just common soldiers."

Link gave no response, instead shifting his gaze around at nothing in particular. He decided to reach into his pocket, hoping to find something that might help them. He stopped for a second as his hand brushed against something metallic.

He removed the small item from his pocket - it was the brooch that his wife had forgotten. This was the first time he had even thought of it since arriving in the village. He examined it in slight astonishment for a moment as memories came flooding back to him. A very faint smile slowly crossed his face as his mind took him away from the battle at hand.

This brooch was the very same one that she had been wearing upon meeting him so many years ago. He was just a naive young boy at the time. His journey out of the tranquil Kokiri Forest and into Hyrule had taken him to Castle Town, where he met the young girl almost entirely by accident. It seemed like everyone in the town had been looking at him with amusement. But Malon was different. She was kind, and remarkably so.

Not long after that, he found himself at her humble little ranch, and he was quick to make friends with the young girl. The beautiful melody that she taught him still resonated in his mind.

The days flew by in his thoughts. As they grew to know one another more, they teased each other endlessly. He recalled countless hours of the two of them laughing and playing together in the beautiful Hyrule Field. When he was with her in those meadows, there was no war or death. Just the happiness that came with being a child.

As the older memories faded, they were replaced by more recent ones. Link remembered sitting in bed in terrible shape after nearly drowning in Lake Hylia. The farmhouse was quiet, even with the howling storm outside. He could almost recall the wounds from that night, even now. As he struggled to recover in the bed, there before him was his rescuer - the girl who had been by his side for so many years. He could still recall the calm look in her deep blue eyes as she tried to help him cling to life. Perhaps it was at that moment, he supposed, that he truly had fallen in love with her.  
 _  
"...You saved my life, Malon. Without you, I don't think I would've made it."_

Another bittersweet memory made its way into his mind. He was standing before the young lady at her ranch, both of them with tears in their eyes. More than anyone else, he had wanted to see her again, for what he thought would be the final time before he was exiled for the rest of his life. They held on to each other tightly, both overcome with sadness.

 _"I'll never forget you."_ Gazing at the brooch, he wondered if such a thing were even possible now.

But, nothing else stood out to him as vividly as that moment in the forest so long ago. It was a cool, autumn day in the middle of a rather unforgiving wilderness. After she had traveled far from Hyrule to find him, they were overjoyed to see each other once again. Link noted how unusual she had been acting at the time as they traveled towards home. Her demeanor was fairly upbeat, but she was oddly nervous. She brought them to a stop, confusing him for a moment.

" _You mean so much to me, Link... You always have. I've never felt this way about anyone else before."_

Then, she said something that made his heart leap.

_"I... I love you, Link."_

Though it was just a memory at this point, he felt a wave of happiness wash over him, even in his current shape. The pain in his body faded for a moment as her statement echoed in his thoughts. No matter how many times he remembered her words, he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a wonderful young lady in his life. He knew that he would never meet somebody who was nearly as kind, selfless, and strong as she was.

_"I'd give anything just to see her one more time..."_

Link returned his attention to the present as the soldiers stared blankly at him. They noticed the brooch in his hand but could not begin to guess what it meant to him. Link squeezed it slightly and looked at it one more time before returning it to his pocket.

Calor spoke up. "Sir? If you want to leave, we can hold them off -"

"No," Link interrupted firmly, rising to his feet. "I'm not leaving."

The soldiers around him let out subdued cheers, still aware that they were in a very undesirable situation.

Link paced about the room with renewed vigor. He could still feel the burning in his muscles, but it became less of a hindrance and more of a slight annoyance. He stretched his limbs, figuring that he could now take on an entire army on his own. The pain in his body would not hold him back any longer. It was impossible for him to give up now.

For a moment, he gazed at the illuminated, golden triangle on the back of his clenched hand. His mind briefly flashed to the split second where he defeated Ganon so many years ago. Link looked around the room, knowing that the others were probably in far worse shape than he was.

"I'm not going anywhere. But, I know that you all have given it everything you have. If anyone wants to leave now and return to their family, I won't hold it against you."

Sifan, Calor, and the others all stepped forward. Even some of the wounded tried to rise to their feet. "No sir," Calor replied. "We're with you."

Link drew his Master Sword from its scabbard and headed towards the door. "Then let's end this."


	5. Chapter 5

The dusty town stood quiet, the battle having come to a brief lull. The raiders circled the small shop, eagerly awaiting the guard's inevitable surrender. Over and over they jeered at the outnumbered men, some of them calling for Link by name, while others were already planning their next raids on other nearby villages.

With shields raised, Link and his allies rushed out of the building and straight towards the mass of raiders. They yelled as loud as they possibly could, momentarily surprising their foes. For a second, the Ganth Warriors could not believe that they were actually counterattacking. Within seconds, they responded with a charge of their own.

Sifan and the remaining archers unleashed a volley of arrows at their enemies, instantly stopping a few of them in their tracks. With newfound strength, Link lunged at the fighters in front of them, sending several of them to the ground in quick succession. The fire in his eyes was unmistakable, and his foes could not help but wonder in fear where his reserve of energy came from.

"Push them back!" Bacen shouted, driving his sword through a bandit's stomach. "Keep them on their heels!"

The soldiers could not ignore their exhaustion, but they were invigorated at the sight of Link tirelessly marching through the remaining enemies. The Hero of Time had been wounded multiple times, but he shrugged them off as best as he could. Calor was astonished to see Link press on, even with his arms and legs slashed and bruised so much.

Some of the raiders began to take several steps backwards, fear apparent on their faces. They may have been able to defeat some of Link's allies, but the green-clad warrior before them seemed almost invincible to them.

Link motioned for his allies to move backwards, building some distance between the two groups. "Archers, on my command-"

The archers stood by in the windows of the building, eagerly anticipating their leader's order. They drew back their bowstrings and took careful aim, knowing that their supply of arrows would not last much longer.

Link and the rest of the swordsmen ducked low to the ground in unison. "Attack!"

Instantly, Sifan and the others released a shower of arrows at their foes, quickly following up with more volleys. Their shots, at the relatively close range, easily took down plenty of attackers. It was practically impossible for them to not hit one of their enemies.

Sifan reached into his quiver and found it was empty. "We're out, sir!" he called out.

"Form up with us!" Link yelled in response.

The lieutenant and his men picked up some spare weapons and joined with their leader outside. They stared down what remained of the bandits- they seemed to almost be evenly matched now. Link could still feel the exhaustion trying to overwhelm him, but he was able to ignore his body's demand for rest.

He stepped forward slowly, pointing his sword squarely at the fighters in front of him. "Ready... charge!"

With one last push, the entire group of soldiers furiously dashed towards the pillagers. Initially stunned by the event before them, the raiders snapped out of their confusion and pressed towards the other group. Everything before Link seemed to slow down as he swiftly dealt a slash at the bandit in front of him. The numbness in his arms and legs persisted, but it was a distant feeling, no longer hindering him. Sifan fought alongside the General, knowing that no other single person could have led them to this point.

Inspired by the sight of his leader fighting with such strength, Bacen lunged at whatever enemy he could reach, refusing to hold anything back. As far as he was concerned, there was no room for fear- there was simply too much at stake. With a mighty yell, he delivered a powerful strike to one of the enemies before him just before he could harm anyone else. For a split second, he wondered if he finally had the skill to best his teacher.

Calor recalled everything that Link had taught him- the countless hours of sword lessons had paid off. He barely had to think as he fought on against the foes who had caused so much suffering and damage. He was able to defend himself almost purely on instinct, anticipating attacks with speed that surprised even himself. As his blade clashed with another, he resolved that he would never stop defending others for the rest of his life.

The Ganth Warriors began to reel backwards, unable to stop the advancing hero and his group. Link parried a weak blow from one of the raiders and stopped another in his tracks before he could strike one of his allies. Sifan drove his blade into the arm of another bandit before he turned to the rest of his group. On his command, the soldiers pressed their charge with greater speed.

Gradually, some of the raiders began to make a quick retreat, throwing down their weapons. Demoralized and without guidance, the bandits became easier to dispatch, even for the more inexperienced soldiers.

Link stumbled slightly as he struck down the last opponent in front of him. Using his sword to prop himself up, he looked around to find that the only remaining bandits in sight were either wounded, surrendering, or in full retreat. He slowly rose to his feet, his head feeling light and his body coursing with pain.

Calor approached him, stunned at the scene around him. "Sir... I think we did it... it's over."|

The other soldiers around him cheered as they watched their opponents scatter before them.

Link gave no reply, instead falling to his knees. His vision blurred and he struggled to stay alert. Everything around him became hazy and he momentarily wondered where he was. Calor tried to help him up but could not catch him before he completely collapsed on the ground.

The morning sun slowly illuminated the quiet room. Very little could be heard other than a few faint voices and the gentle sound of footsteps nearby. Link slowly regained his senses as his eyes opened, almost immediately closing them again at the sight of the sun in his face. It was warm and comforting on his skin, but it remained harsh to his vision.

The swordsman looked away and his sight gradually returned, his eyes still adjusting to the sudden light. His head began to ache, which he was sure would probably not dissipate anytime soon. He took a careful look around the room. It wasn't the shop that they had been using before- it appeared to be the main room of a somewhat large, abandoned house. The space was devoid of much decoration, and it was not clear if anyone had lived there in years. The walls and floor were all worn quite thoroughly, and there was an obvious layer of dust on most of the surfaces.

 _"The battle is over? How long have I been here?"_ he wondered, still not fully aware of everything around him.

He realized that he was lying in a makeshift bed, wrapped in some thin sheets. The injured Hylian slowly lifted his arms, noticing that they were covered in plenty of bandages. He could not see much below his upper torso, but he knew that he had probably plenty of wounds there as well. As he shifted around, he could feel several very painful wounds on his back and arms.

_"I got lucky… this could've been much worse."_

Link turned his head slowly, feeling an ache as he did so. There were other beds lined up around the perimeter of the room, each occupied by other soldiers in varying states of injury and discomfort. Most of them remained asleep, and the few that were awake did not seem to notice Link.

He ran his hand through his unkempt hair as he tried not to focus on the pain in his body. A soldier approached him and sat next to his bed on a small chair.

"How do you feel, sir?" he asked, handing him a bottle of water. He kept his voice quiet, not wanting to wake anyone else.

"...I've been through worse, Calor."

"We've patched you up as best as we could with what little we have. We're amazed that you're still... with us."

"Thanks." Link smirked a bit before taking a drink from the bottle. "How long has it been?"

"A few days, sir. Haven't seen any sign of the Ganth Warriors since their retreat. A large group of Hylian soldiers arrived not long ago," he said with a smile. "They've agreed to stay here and bolster our ranks for a while... they said that a nasty snowstorm held them back for days."

Link smiled and nodded his head. He couldn't ask for much more, even if their arrival was later than he would have liked.

"Your condition is slowly improving," Calor added, "but we aren't sure when you'll be back to your old self."

Link was largely unconcerned with his condition, as long as he was alive. "What about the others? How are they doing?" he asked, his smile fading. He could already anticipate the response.

Calor's head turned towards the floor and he let out a deep breath. "We lost half a dozen men out there, sir. Only a few of us escaped without wounds."

Link closed his eyes in sadness, recalling the men who fell before him. He wondered if extra training would have helped keep them alive, but he could never know for sure.

"We really can't thank you enough for everything you've done Lin- I mean, General."

The swordsman opened his eyes and looked to the small table next to him. Among the few articles that sat atop it, one stood out. He slowly moved his hand towards the table and removed the brooch, holding it his hand once more. He stared at it for a few moments, recalling one particular night from so many months ago.

Link had been sitting with Malon atop the roof of her farmhouse. In only a few hours, he was to depart to Hyrule Castle to dethrone the self-proclaimed King. The night was clear and the winds were cold. The hero had readied himself for the battle ahead, but he could not hide his concern from her. His body was tense and his mind was heavy with worry, but it was for her safety- not his.

Something that Malon had said stood out to him. It was so very clear to him- as though he was still there now.

_"I know that you'll find a way- you always have. I know you far too well. I love you."_

Link's smile returned as he clutched the brooch to his chest and held it firmly. _"She's always been there for me..."_ He longed to return home quickly, even in his horrid state. He knew that she was unfathomably worried for him, having not heard from him in weeks. _"She has to know that I'm okay."_ The swordsman returned his attention to the soldier next to him.

"Private, I have to leave."

"But sir, you're injured very badly. You need to-"

"This is not up for discussion," he replied calmly but firmly. "I can make the return trip easily."

He sat up in the bed slowly and shifted his legs towards the side before standing up for the first time in days. Link winced as he did so. His legs were trembling, but he was able to keep his balance with some extra effort.

"Gather the others- I need to speak with them. I'll be leaving within the hour."

Calor immediately set out to bring the other soldiers before their leader. Within minutes, they all sat before Link as he slowly paced about in the large room. Initially, he was silent and did not look directly at any of them. They sat as still as they could, nursing whatever injuries they had. Eagerly they awaited whatever their leader was about to say.

Link turned to them, his expression tinged with sorrow. "Men... I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of each of you. I could not ask for a better group of warriors." He took a deep breath before he continued. "We have lost far too many friends... We will mourn for them, but we must also remain resolute and never lose hope. We must remember our brothers' sacrifices."

The soldiers nodded in agreement, not saying anything. Link continued on, getting slightly choked up. "You now know… beyond any doubt, that you are capable of meeting any obstacle ahead of you." He raised his voice as he went on. "Carry that with you for the rest of your days, and never tell yourself that this victory was because of the actions of one man... it was all of us. You fought as a team, and you prevailed as a team."

The men before him began to murmur words of agreement, though they could tell that Link was about to say something that they did not want to hear. Their expressions remained uncertain and several of them could already guess what he was about to say.

"I will be returning to Hyrule shortly. But do not worry yourselves- Lieutenant Sifan will guide you well. I have full confidence in him and in every single one of you," he stated, looking each guard in the face. A few of the soldiers shook their heads and quietly objected to his departure.

"...It has been an honor. And I wish you all the best of luck. Stay strong, and always remember why you fight."

Sifan and the rest of the soldiers crowded around Link one last time, each thanking him for his dedication and guidance. They patted him on the back and shook his hand, some of them suppressing tears in their eyes.

"I owe you my life," Bacen muttered as he trembled slightly.

"Thank you so much sir," Sifan said with a faint grin. "I think we'll be able to lead somewhat normal lives again soon."

Link walked outside with the soldiers to the outskirts of the village. A small cemetery stood before them, with several sites already covered with flowers. The Hero of Time stood in silence with them for several minutes with their arms on each other's shoulders, quietly mourning the deaths of their brothers in arms. One by one, Sifan recited the names of each of their slain brothers. Several men offered words for their fallen friends, but many others were too overcome with sadness to speak.

With tears in his own eyes, Link gathered his gear, exchanged salutes with his allies and left the small graveyard. He disregarded the pain coursing through his body as he made his way to Epona's stable. After climbing into her saddle, he sped off towards Hyrule, not prepared to stop until he had reached the woman he loved.

* * *

The sky was clear and sunny over the kingdom of Hyrule. Castle Town was as busy and full of life as it always was, though those who were aware of Link's absence were uneasy to one degree or another. Various rumors circulated among the people, with some claiming that he had been arrested once more, or that he was simply on vacation. Nobody came close to guessing what had actually happened to him.

Over the past few days, Lera and Zelda had visited Malon with increasing frequency. Despite their best efforts, the farm girl remained fraught with worry. Whenever they did see her, she was uncharacteristically somber and reserved- she said very little as she spent the majority of her time at home or at her ranch, trying to keep her mind on something more pleasant. Other than her father and her considerate friends, the memories of her time spent with Link were all she had to keep her company.

As the sun began to set over the western horizon of Hyrule, she stood next to a window, gazing out towards the general direction of Frasell. Her head drooped and her face was mostly empty of emotion. It had been another long day of working, but after many years, that bothered her little.

Malon looked down at her hand, her vision instantly falling on the bright golden band around her finger. She smiled slightly at it, examining it more closely as the sun reflected on it. Not once had she ever removed it, and she would refuse to do so for the rest of her life.

 _"No matter what happens... I'm still the luckiest girl in the world,"_ she thought.

She shifted her gaze from the beautiful ring and walked towards the house's food supply, hoping to prepare a light supper before she went off to sleep.

She sat down at the table and began to enjoy a simple meal- some milk from her ranch, some bread, and a bit of fruit. She ate all of it slowly, still not able to focus her mind on much else. It was difficult to ignore the empty chair across the table and the ever-present stillness of the house. Following her supper, she let out a deep breath and continued to sit at the table for a few moments, her expression still blank.

Feeling rather tired, even at a relatively early hour, she decided to ready herself for sleep, hoping that a good night's rest might help calm her.

A light knock came from the door. The crimson-haired girl slowly turned to look at it, supposing that it was Lera and Zelda once again, arriving to cheer her up. She remained deeply thankful for their consideration, humbled that they would go out of their way to take time out of their busy schedules to meet with her so frequently.

"One second," she called out, her voice rather flat.

She adjusted her long hair and straightened her attire as she walked to the door. Turning the knob and opening it, she found a welcome sight before her. There in the doorway was her husband, smiling widely with tears in his eyes. Her mouth fell open slightly and her eyes widened, not sure if she was actually seeing things correctly.

"Excited to see me?" he asked, stepping inside.

Without further hesitation, she threw her arms around him and hugged him as tight as she could, her tears flowing freely. She felt that if she were to let go, she might somehow wake up from a dream and find that the house was still empty.

"I- I missed you so much..." she said between breaths. Her heartbeat pounded as she continued to embrace him.

Link eagerly returned her hug. "I missed you too, Malon," he said, not bothering to hide his own tears of joy. "I thought of you every day." The emotion almost overwhelmed his voice. Nothing made him happier than for them to be in each other's arms. Even now, they could feel each other trembling. After facing the bitter cold of the mountain pass, Link was happier than ever to be in his wife's warm embrace.

Malon struggled to form another sentence, instead slowly convincing herself that this was actually happening. She let out a long sigh- her husband truly was home safe and sound. The two of them fell to their knees, still not loosening their hug. Their tears began to stain each other's clothing, but neither of them cared in the slightest.

"It's been weeks... I've been so worried about you..." she finally said, suppressing a sob.

"I know," he returned. "I'm so sorry... but I'm here now. I'm alright."

They finally parted slightly from their embrace and looked into each other's blue eyes. The relief overwhelmed the both of them as they gazed at one another. Without a word, their lips met in a gentle kiss- the both of them cherishing every second of it. Nothing else in the world could be better than that feeling. They ran their hands slowly through each other's hair, still in partial disbelief that they were seeing each other once more. They parted again for a moment.

Malon looked him over with worry still in her eyes. She mustered a smile as best as she could, but was alarmed by his condition. His body was still covered in bruises and deep cuts, and from what she could see, he was still bandaged heavily. His face was drained of much of its color, and it looked as though sleep had eluded him for days. The trip back through the mountain pass had not helped him. She winced at the sight, and she briefly wondered how he had made it back in the shape that he was in.

"W-what happened?" she asked, not sure if she actually wanted to hear the unpleasant details. "You look..."

"We were attacked..." he began, carefully thinking of how much he would tell her. "There must have been hundreds of them. We fought for many hours. Several of the guards... they..." his voice trailed off as he looked down in remembrance of his fallen allies.

"How awful..." she replied, knowing exactly what he was about to say. Malon sniffed and wiped away a tear, fully aware of how close Link had come to death. She would never know who they were, but she was deeply saddened by the soldiers' deaths as well. The young lady rested her head on his shoulder and rubbed his back, hoping to comfort him a bit.

Link leaned his head against hers. Her touch soothed him as he tried to ignore the significant pain across his body. Some of the chill from the mountain pass still lingered in him.

"You... you can't keep doing this- running off to battle," she stuttered, slowly regaining her composure. "I- I don't want to lose you." She couldn't help but remember how he had almost lost his life months ago in Lake Hylia. She mentally recoiled at the thought and hugged him a bit tighter.

"I'm so sorry…" he replied, suppressing a lump in his throat. He struggled to think of any words that would properly ease her mind. "You shouldn't have to go through this."

The thought of spending any more time away from her was horrible to him. Even a hint of sadness on her normally happy expression was something he never wanted to see.

"I'll look into giving up my diplomatic and military roles. You shouldn't have to worry for my safety all the time."

Malon looked at him, momentarily surprised that he would suggest something like that. It would mean a quiet and far more carefree life for the two of them, but she didn't want him to do anything so significant without thinking it through.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" she asked quietly.

Link became silent for several moments before he tried to speak again. "I just want you to be happy." He knew that there was nothing he would not give up for her. He carefully wiped away a tear from her eye.

"Do whatever you feel is best," she replied, a faint smile crossing her face.

Link reached into his pocket and removed the brooch that he had held onto for so many days. He stared at it again closely. Malon followed his eyes to it, unsure of why he had it or why he was paying any attention to it. She looked at it curiously, trying to think of why he might have it.

The swordsman recalled the burst of energy he received days ago upon remembering her. Nothing could possibly drive him the same way. He slowly gave it to her and clasped his gloved hands around hers.

"Where did you find that? Why do you..." she began, realizing that it didn't really matter what he was doing with it. She had barely noticed its absence in the days that he was gone.

"You forgot about it when you left," he stated quietly. "I held onto it while I was away."

Malon looked him in the eyes once again.

"You're right. I can't keep doing this forever," he began. "I'll have to abandon all of this conflict eventually. But as long as I have you in my life... I know I'll always be able to keep going. You give me far more strength than you could possibly know. I promise, you won't ever have to worry about me like this ever again."

A familiar, bright grin crossed her face as she was overcome with emotion. It was the same radiant smile that had warmed his heart so many times before. Reflexively, he smiled in response- he had been waiting for weeks to see it once more.

"Link, I can't begin to tell you how much you mean to me. You know I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens. I love you…" she whispered before wrapping her arms around him once again.

Link rested his head on hers as she rubbed his back slightly. "And I'll always be here for you," he echoed. "I love you so much, Malon."

Their lips met once again in a long and passionate kiss. It was difficult to imagine anything else in the world as they sat locked in each other's warm embrace. Link gently held her body close to his as she caressed his scarred face with her hand. Everything- every noise, every troubling thought, every negative emotion and worry in their minds faded into nothing. It didn't matter what sorrow and pain the world might bring upon them- they knew that they would always have each other.

* * *

 **Afterword:**  
  
With that, _Second Wind_ comes to a close, but the tale of Link, Malon, and Zelda has not concluded yet. If you liked this, I encourage you to check out the next part of this trilogy, _Breaking Point._ Thanks for reading, and have a great day.


End file.
